The Mind and World of Edward Irving

The influences and world that shaped Edward Irving—an important Pentecostal forerunner.

The mystery behind Irving and his world has created many different portraits. A mad man, an entertainer, an image of Scottish national pride, and a pentecostal pioneer, are some of the diverse opinions displayed. These options are under investigation as we look to discover the man behind the pulpit.

Some of his views and behaviors, even by today’s standards, are controversial and oft-putting. On the other hand, Irving and his followers were mystics, and Britain took a fancy to it. How could an Empire so steeped in Calvinist rigorous living, Methodist structures, and Anglican strictures, even entertain such features?

Read more

Why the Evangelical Church is Declining

Candy bar with Jesus name

Outlining how the superficiality and the anti-intellectualism of the Evangelical movement are causing a significant decline in membership and the remedy for it.

Churches from numerous types of backgrounds see that their numbers are dropping and are quickly upgrading their style of worship. Other solutions are renovating the church foyer into coffee shops, pressing people into the small weekly groups, producing appealing dramas, or spending on new personnel and equipment to better communicate through the web, apps, video and other burgeoning technologies. These approaches help, but there is something far more profound going on.

Read more